(STATEHOUSE) - Politicians, dignitaries and school children from around the state observed the tenth annual holocaust memorial at the Statehouse.

Isaiah Kuperstein is the president of Double 8 Foods in Indianapolis and is a nationally recognized holocaust educator and author.

Kuperstein says it's incredible that the holocaust was planned by an elected government in one of the most progressive nations in the history of western civilization.

He says the biggest reason for the widespread reach of the tragic event was due to a lack of opposition and people who he calls "bystanders". More than 60 later, the effect of the holocaust is that the worldwide Jewish population is roughly the same as it was in 1933.

Kuperstein says Adolph Hitler's anti-Semitic philosophy is now echoed by the leadership of Iran.

Joy Pentz, an enforcement manager with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, urged Americans to stay informed, involved in the political process and aware of our constitutional rights. Otherwise she says we're susceptible to a similar fate.